Huawei and China Telecom subsidiary Sichuan Telecom have live broadcast a television show in 4K for the first time.
The two companies broadcast Chinese television show Sing You Chinese Dream in 4K Ultra-HD (UHD) to 1.2 million 4K viewers using 4K H.265 video coding.
The broadcast was received on 4K set-top boxes (STBs) developed by Huawei and Sichuan Telecom.
The companies unveiled a smart STB capable of carrying 4K video in China last year while launching a commercial 4K TV network in the country.
Sichuan Telecom has also reconstructed its copper-cable bearer networks into full optical networks in order to offer 4K video, Huawei said.
According to the vendor, Sichuan Telecom holds the highest number of IPTV users in China, including over two million 4K users.
Fu Qiang, Sichuan Telecom’s Deputy General Manager, said: “We are very happy with the successful broadcast. This end-to-end live broadcast tested our systems from the signal source to the broadcasting system.
“Our whole industry chain has passed this strict technical test. I believe the live broadcast is a sign that the 4K industry has entered a relatively mature and stable phase of development.”
According to Huawei, 85 percent of data consumption will be created by video by 2020.
In September, the company revealed a new video evaluation system aimed at ensuring the quality and performance of 4K video services, which it believes will be the main driver of fibre and “ultra-broadband” technologies.